Baylor University receives $643,000 grant to study and foster LGBTQ+ inclusion
Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has received a grant to study and foster LGBTQ+ inclusion. (Getty Images)
Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has received a grant to study and foster LGBTQ+ inclusion. (Getty Images)
Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has bucked current “anti-DEI” trends and received a $643,000 grant to study and foster LGBTQ+ inclusion.
The private Baptist research university, with a mission “to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community”, has been given a grant to foster LGBTQ+ inclusion.
On 30 June, the university shared that the Center for Church and Community Impact (C31) has been awarded a grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation “to foster inclusion and belonging in the church,” with an emphasis on understanding “the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women within congregations to nurture institutional courage and foster change.”
As reported by Good Faith Media, the Center for Church and Community Impact is a research centre housed within Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work.
The grant aims to foster an ‘environment of belonging’ at Baylor University
C3I Director Dr. Gaynor Yancey said: “The grant will focus on the lived experiences of emerging adults,” and “will assist us in filling out the bigger picture of congregations’ practices that result in an environment of belonging.”
The grant will enable the formation of focus groups and surveys of students in a bid to develop trauma-sensitive training materials for churches.
Last year, LGBTQ+ basketball player Brittney Griner was honoured by Baylor University, where she graduated in 2013.
The faculty retired her No. 42 jersey on 18 February at a pregame ceremony on campus to honour her sporting legacy — one of the highest honours for an athlete, usually reserved after a player has left the team, retires from the sport, or dies. Griner marks the seventh Baylor women’s basketball player to have their jersey retired.
Conversely, in 2023, the US Department for Education granted religious exemption to Baylor University, which removed their obligation to take action on sexual harassment claims involving LGBTQ+ students.
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